Conveyer apparatus



July 22, 1930. w. H. wATsoN ooNvEYER APPARATUS Filed June 26, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l AParental July 22, V`193,0Y

-WILLIAM H; WATSON, or' cU'rHBEm; GEORGIA f i i, Application filed June. k26,

` 15, tage in the cuttingdownlo high fspots in aV road surfaceand conveying the material so removed'to desired pointsto lill up dips in the road surface whereby 'thedesired grading of road surface may be accomplishedll Y go vThe invention also has for an object to provide an apparatus of this kind comprising an endless member associated withjsuitable sup#V porting' meansv together with a mechanism for driving said endless member and wherein suitable carriers,"sueh as Scrapers, are adapt# ed to be connected withlthe endless member` :for tra-vel'therewith. f

The invention also contemplates for an ob-` ject to provide an apparatus of this-kind which may be readily assembled for adesired' working operation and whichincludes an endless member' and a supporting means therefor wherein said supporting ineansis` of such a nature to permit the same to be read;-` ily vadjusted vertically with'res'pect tothe working surface as the necessities of practice may dictate.

The invention consists in the details of con' struction and in the combination and arrangement of the several partsof my improved conveyer apparatus whereby certain'.v important advantages are attained=and the device renderedsimpleryless expensive and otherwise more convenient and advantageous for use, as will be hereinafter `more fully Yset forth. t. f The novel features of my invention will hereinafter be definitely claimed. i

In order that my invention may bethe bet.A 50 ter understood, .I will now proceed to describe.

152s. seiai no.y 235,478. l

the same withfreference drawings, wherein:-' f i, s Figure l is a view in-top plan and of adiaf grammat-ic character illustrating a conveyer apparatus constructed in accordance with an. embodiment of my invention; s l i Figure 2 is a View in side elevation Vof the apparatus as illustrated in Figure' `l Figure 3 is anenlarged fragmentary view" partly in elevation"and'partlyin section illus tr'ating one of the supportingmeans for' fthe: endless cable as herein' employed; n Q Figure 4 is a secti nal view taken suhstan"` tially on the lined-.4 of Figure` ;4

Figuren is a detail view in side elevation illustrating ameans Afor connecting'or couplinga scraper or kindred device to theendf lesscable; v Y f `j "Figure 6 "isas'ectionalview taken substan-- tially on the line 6-6of Figure?` l 'Q j "v Figure is a fragmentary.. view partly in'. section and partly. vin elevation"illustrating.

the mounting .for the cable wheel as h'erein f einplyd. I 1My ffimproved apparatus as herein .dis-. closed Vis particularly 'designed and adapted Vfor use in the grading of roads although it is to be understoodthatit vcan'loe employed forother purposes, as for example carrying suitablearticlesi or material from one 'point to another in a manner to save cost'in 'suchy transportation. n

L As disclosedin the' accompanying vdraw ings,v l. denotes a base sill adapted to beplaced within aitrench 2 or the like whichis herein disclosed as disposed i'n a directionjtransverselyxto a roadwayRlgThis placement ot.' the sill 1 is togive thesamean el'ectivefoot-4 lng.k

Suitably secured jto andV extendingtupwardly from thecentral portion of the sill l is a column 3 of desired ldimensionsandg which is provided at its top with thefrearwardly. disposed lugs .4to which are adapted. to be suitably 'attachedfthe downwardly and rearwardly disposed guy lines 5. The :rear face'of the column 42y `at apoint closely adjal cent ltothe sill 1 has securedthereto `anout-` standing. frame or bracket 5' whichprovides a mountingfor a driven Shaft 6 and adrive shaft 7. The shafts 6 and 7 are in operative connection one with the other through the medium of the gear wheel 8 carried by the shaft 6 and the pinion 9 fixed to the shaft 7. The gear wheel 8 and pinion 9 are of such ratio to effect a considerably slower rotation of the shaft 6 than the speed ofrotation of the shaft 7. The sha-ft 7, as'illustrated in Figure 4, carries a pulley 10 adapted to be coupled in a conventional manner with the power take-off of a tractor. or other suitable source of power. Itis to be understood, however, that the shaft 7 may be caused to rotatein any manner desired and, therefore, the particular means of driving theV` shaft' 7 forms no part. of the present invention.

The rear face of the column3 at a desired distance above the frame or bracket 5 has suitably secured thereto parallel trackways 11 disposed' lengthwise of the column 3 and in the present instance each of these trackwaysV 11 isdisclosed as a channel iron. Slidably engaged with each of the trackways 11 is an elongated rack member 12 and in mesh therewith is a pinion 14 carried by the shaft.

15 disposed transversely of the column 3. This shaft 15 is common to both of the pinions 14 and is rotatably supported by the outstanding bearing plates 16 carried by the trackways 11?. The bearing plates 16 also providea mounting for the holding dogs 17 which engage the gears or pinions 14 to effectively hold the same against rotation whereby the rack members 12 are locked in desired adjustment with respect to the column 3.

The extremities of the shaft 15,. as particularly illustrated in Figure 3, -are provided with the squared portions18 with which a suitable implement, such as acra-nk, is adapted to be selectively, engaged to permit the shaft V15 to be manually rotated to effect Vthe desired adjustment of the rack members 12 lengthwise of the trackways 11. lt is to be understood that before the shaft 15 is rotated the holding dogs 17 are disengaged from the pinions 14.

The lower end portions of the rack members 12 are provided with the bearings 19 which provide mountings for a shaft 20. This shaft 20 extends beyond opposite sides of the column 3 and to the extremities o f said shaft 2O are affixed the pulleys 21` Disposed over the pulleys 21 are the stretches of an endless cable C, said stretches extending downwardly fromv the pulleys 21 and passing under a pulley 22 fixed' to the shaft 6 hereinbefore referred to.

At a desired point spaced from. the sill 1 is positioneda second sill 23 also seated withina ditch 24 provided in. the working surface. This sill 23 isarranged substantially in parallelismwith the sill 1 and has extending upwardly from its central portion amast 25. The upper end portion of thev mast 25 has fixed thereto a crown piece 26 to` which are suitably affixed the guy lines 27, said lines preferably extending fore and aft of the mast whereby said mast is effectively supported in desired upright position in a manner to eectively withstand the stresses and strains that may be imposed thereon and particularly during a working operation of the apparatus.

Freely mounted on the mast 25 for rotation therearound is a cable Wheel 28, said wheel being maintained a desired distance above the sill 23, or more particularly the working surface, by a collar 29 locked in desired position on the mast 25 by a binding screw 30.v

The cable C is also disposed around the wheel 28. rIhe wheel 28, and especially when the. apparatus is employed in connection with road work, is preferably of a diameter substantially equal to one-half of the width of the roadway so that upon a placement of the apparatus one-half of the roadway between the sills 1 and 23 may be effectively worked and 4at the same time leaving the opposite halfof the roadway open for traffic. When the work upon one side ofthe road has been completed itis only necessary to shift the apparatus to the other side. When the work between the sills 1 and 23 has been fully completed the column 3 and the mast 25, after proper release of the guy lines 5 and 27, may be readily placed upon a truck and moved ahead for the next succeeding operation.

The sills 1 and' 23. may be spaced apart any distance desired to assure an effective operation of the apparatus, and upon the placement of the sills 1 and 23 in desired position the pulley 28 is adapted to be adjusted lengthwise of the mast 25 to a desired position with respectto the working surface and this is also true with respect to the shaft` 20 and the pulleys 21 carried thereby. It is to be understood that as the pulleys 21. are raised with respect tothe column 3 the cable C will have to be lengthened and vice versa. This can readily be done by employing cables of different lengths or by putting suitable inserts therein.

.During a working operation suitable carriers A, are adapted tov be detachably connected to the cable C at desired points therealong. In the present embodiment of my invention, each of the carriers A comprises a scraper of a conventional type and which has operatively connected thereto an elongated flexible member 31 provided at its outer extremity with a. coupling member 32 of a type which readily permits the member 31 to be operatively secured to or disengaged from the cable C.

.As the cable C travels the carriers or, in the present instance, the Scrapers A are pulled toward the tower end of the apparatus or the column13 during their Working operation and as a scraper reaches a desired point upon the surface to be worked a laborer willoperate such scraper to effectl a desired removal of materia-l and after the scraper has been passed over such portion of the surface or has become filled, it is permitted to travel with the cable C until the desired dumping point is reached whereupon a second laborer V will throw over the scraper A to discharge the material where desired, as for examplewithina dip in a road surface to be leveled. As the carrier or scraper A continues to travel toward the column 3 a third laborer just-before the cupling 32 reaches a pulley 2l will disengage said coupling 32 from vthe cable C and engage said coupler with the-second stretch of the cable C moving or traveling in a direction away from the column 3.

As a carrier or scraper-A travels along' with the cable C in a direction away from the column 3 and as it reaches the wheel 28,

the couplingl 32 will readily pass aroundsaid Y wheel and' the carrier or scraper drawn around the lower portion of the mast'25.

'Io facilitate the travel of the carrier or scraper A around the lowerl portion of the mast 25, I'provide an upstanding guard plate or shield 33 herein disclosed Aas circular. in form and in excess of a semi-circle. trated in Figure l, it is to be noted that this guard or shield 33 is so positioned as to completely extend from'one side ofthe mast 25 to the other so that as a carrier or scraper A is being drawn around the mast 25 it will be' prevented from coming into contact therewith or e'ecting any such entanglement which would prevent this desiredjturning travel of the carrier or scraper. Y

From the foregoing description it is thought to be obvious that a conveyer apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention is particularlywell adapted for use ing the position of the shaft upon the column, pulleys carried by-said shaft at opposite sides of the column and over `which the endless member is engaged, a drive pulley carriedby the column below the shaft and under whichthe endless member is engaged, and means for operating the drive pulley.

In testimony signature.

WILLIAM II. WATSON.

As illusby reason of the convenience and facility with which it may be'assembled and operated, and

it will also be obvious that my invention is susceptible of some change and modification without departing from-the principles and spirit thereof and for this reasonV I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to whereof I hereunto affix my the precise arrangement and formation of the several parts hereinshown in carrying out my invention in practice except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim: l. In combination with a conveyer apparatus including an endless pulling member, a

column, a shaft carried by the column, means for vertically shifting the position of the shaft upon the column, pulleys carriedby said shaft at opposite sides of the column and over which the endless member is engaged, and a drive pulley carried by the column below the shaft and under which the endless member is also engaged.

2. In combination with a conveyer appa- 

